Campers and other persons who spend time outdoors often have a need or a desire to bathe outdoors. The bathing process is greatly enhanced if the camper can bathe in privacy and has a support surface on which to stand other than bare ground. Solar shower bags are commercially available for outdoor bathing. A solar shower bag is a plastic bag which is capable of holding several gallons of water. Exposing the bag to solar radiation heats the water in the bag. However, the solar shower bag does not include any means to support the bag during use, a surface to stand on other than bare ground, or a privacy curtain.
There are numerous portable shower units for use for bathing and decontamination purposes. Most of the prior portable shower units include a single nozzle for dispensing a steady stream of water for bathing purposes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,852,784, 3,629,875, 3,925,828, and 4,413,363 are illustrative of portable prior art shower apparatuses having a single nozzle for dispensing a steady stream of water for bathing purposes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,065,265, 2,336,402 and 4,554,690 are illustrative of portable shower apparatuses having a plurality of nozzles for dispensing steady streams of water for bathing purposes.
These prior art shower units, while somewhat portable, have several drawbacks or disadvantages. The principal disadvantage of these prior art shower units resides in their rigid, non-collapsible, structure which precludes the ready and easy movement of the shower unit from one location to another. Even so-called collapsible shower units typically have a number of elongated struts that are connected together to form a frame, a process which is cumbersome.
There remains a need for a more elegant and easy-to-deploy portable shower.